Hon. Marty Klyne: Honourable senators, tomorrow marks the eighty-first anniversary of D-Day, a turning point in the Second World War and a day when Canadian courage bent the arc of history.
On June 6, 1944, more than 14,000 Canadians landed on Juno Beach in Normandy. Among the first ashore were the young men of Saskatchewan’s The Regina Rifle Regiment, now The Royal Regina Rifles. Because so many of them were farmers, they were affectionately nicknamed “Farmer Johns,” later shortened to “The Johns.” As they fought through one fierce engagement after another, their proud battle cry “Up the Johns!” became one of the most famous rallying calls in the Canadian Army. Today, “Up the Johns!” is also a ritual of raising glasses to acknowledge those who served in The Royal Regina Rifles and to celebrate their bravery, spirit and camaraderie.
Landing at Nan Green, the western sector of Juno Beach, they encountered fierce German resistance. Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel F.M. Matheson, some 520 soldiers pressed forward under fire, destroying fortified enemy positions and fighting their way through the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer.
And they didn’t stop. With unbreakable will, they advanced inland through Reviers, reaching Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse — their final D-Day goal — by the next day. In doing so, The Royal Regina Rifles became the only Allied unit on D-Day to reach and hold its designated objective.
On June 7, in this small Norman village, they repelled a brutal counterattack by the 12th SS Panzer Division, a battle that helped secure the Allied beachhead and the future of Operation Overlord. But success came at a heavy cost. The Rifles suffered 44 killed and 64 wounded on D-Day alone. Over the next 55 days of continuous combat, hundreds more were killed, wounded or declared missing in action.
Senators, the legacy of The Royal Regina Rifles lives on — in the history books, in a free Europe, in the Canadian Armed Forces and in our hearts. So too does the courage and sacrifice of all Canadians who served in the Second World War.
The bravery of our soldiers, sailors and flyers shaped the world today, throwing back the Nazi scourge and preserving the freedoms that we hold sacred. But the price they paid reminds us that war is never without terrible cost in blood, grief and lives forever changed.
Tomorrow — and always — we remember them. Lest we forget. Up the Johns!
An Hon. Senator: Up the Johns!
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.